Sunday, 8 September 2013

Spiced honey loaf

Tempted though I was to pick something extravagant and
fancy, I was very short of time this weekend and decided to pick something
truer to what I consider my baking ethos.
I have always been drawn to the homely, simple and rustic cakes (not
that I don’t love a bit of fancy patisserie as well – I am all-embracing where
cake is concerned!) and this is a perfect example.

This loaf has a close, dense texture and is perfect to have
with a cup of tea. Being honest, if you
were having it sans tea I would be tempted to butter it as it is on the dryer
side of cake. The first flavour to hit is the cinnamon before the warm honey
cuts in – it leave a lovely taste and makes you want the second bite!

The glaze adds a little texture to the top of the cake. Putting honey in the glaze enhances the flavour
and while the cake is perhaps a plain Jane in terms of looks, it definitely isn’t
in terms of taste.

When I think back to my early days of blogging I started
with no thought for the future – it wouldn’t have surprised me if I’d quit by
Christmas as something shinier caught my attention. But here I am still, six years on – and there
aren’t many weeks I’ve missed a post. I’d
be lying if I said my baking mojo didn’t dip occasionally – I’m going through a
bit of a lull at the moment. My blog is
a labour of love but whenever I get a lovely email from a reader telling me
about a recipe they made from the site, or asking about how they could adapt a
recipe to make their daughter’s wedding cake I get little goosebumps and enjoy
a renewed love for the power of baking and sharing recipes – after all, that’s
what it’s all about. I hope you’ve
enjoyed my first six years!

Beat together the butter and sugar until light and fluffy –
don’t skimp on this stage.

Beat in the honey. My
honey was very runny so I beat it straight in, if yours is firmer set warm it
slightly first.

Beat in the eggs one at a time, adding a little of the flour
if it looks like it might curdle.

Stir in the flour, baking powder and cinnamon.

Spoon into the prepared tin and level the surface.

Bake for 40 minutes before checking that the top is not
browning too much. If it isn’t bake for
a further 15-20 minutes or until a skewer comes out the cake clean. If the cake is browning too much after 40
minutes reduce the oven to 160°C/fan oven 140°C/325°F/gas mark 3 and cover the brown
crust with foil before continuing to bake.

Leave to cool in the tin for 15 minutes before turning out
onto a wire rack and leaving to cool completely.

Now make the glaze: place the icing sugar, honey and 1 tablespoon
of water into a bowl and beat together.
Add a further tablespoon of water if necessary – you’re aiming for a
thick, runny – but not watery – glaze.

Spoon over the cake and let run down the sides. Any of the glaze that runs down the cake and
pools around it can be spooned back over the cake (like basting a piece of
meat!).

Let the icing set.

Cut into thick slices – butter if you wish – and enjoy with
a big mug of tea.

congratulations on hitting 6 years! People at work still ooh & ah about the Ginger & cinnamon cupcake recipe I've been using for the last 4 years from you site :) Not to mention one of the greatest cheesecakes in the history of cheesecakes!I do wonder sometimes where you have the space in your kitchen for all the various cake tins?!!

Yay, congratulations CC and I hope you don't lose your baking and blogging mojo for many years to come. You have a great blog and have certainly inspired me to bake things I'd never have thought of. Your honey spice cake, being all about taste, is a perfect way to celebrate.

Yyikes I feel old, saw you mention 'you' were 6 years old, checked mine as couldn't quite remember and mine has been a little over 6, where does the time go! I know what you mean about mojo, and have come close to quitting a few times but its the odd random email or comment that reassures me its worthwhile!

I really like your cake, have made honey cake before but never thought of cinnamon, sounds delicious!

Congratulations! 6 years is an impressive blogging milestone. Here's to many more years of happy and delicious baking! What better way to celebrate than with a proper rustic cake. Lovely looking texture.

Congratulations on 6 years - heres to many more!I always love your cakes and bakes. This one too looks delicious. I enjoy the dense textures to loaf cakes like this and keep meaning to try a honey loaf myself.

Happy Blog Anniversary! The flavours in this cake look to die for, and I love the generous quantities of butter you've spread over it as well, I'm literally salivating! Here is to 6 more years of cake from the Caked Crusader!

Your recipes have given me lots of inspiration for baking, some I have made and some I have saved for another day. So I look forward to reading your blog every time, even if I don't always leave a comment.

Congrats, CC, and may you continue with happy baking for many more moons!

This week, after returning from a holiday in Nice, I was feeling down, as one would after a hot sunny break. Then I find that winter has mysteriously arrived during my absence.

I fetched out of the freezer a large slice of your rhubarb and almond cake, and it SO overcame the problem. I felt better instantly and the good feeling lasted all day, so I did the same thing the next day as well!

Your posts always cheer me up, even if I don't actually make the cake!

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So, the answer to the question you’re all asking: who am I? Well, a superhero never reveals their identity. I think it’s stated somewhere in the contract when you sign up for superhero-dom. Let’s just call me THE CAKED CRUSADER. By day (and night if I’m being honest) a mild-mannered City professional, but at weekends I become THE CAKED CRUSADER. Tirelessly fighting anti-cake propaganda and cake-related injustices – for SOMEONE, SOMEWHERE, ALWAYS NEEDS CAKE (we’ll just skip over the fact that it’s usually me).

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I am a 40-something Chartered Accountant working in the square mile.
My main hobbies at the moment are baking, and setting the world record for the number of cake tins owned by one person.
I spend far too much time watching Spongebob Squarepants and would love to try a Krabby Patty...I know, I know - it's not real.